Amir's Offense

Amir has been playing consistent all year but lately he has shown some great Offensive skill. He's shown he can finish and work the PnR very well with Jose, but now im left wondering how far can he go offensively ? Of course we all know he doesn't have a great Mid Range shot, his FT% is also very poor . He kind of reminds me af a smaller Amare great pnr and great finisher only thing Amere has that Johnson doesnt is that mid range shot and a polished post game.

Now do you guys think this kid can learn some sort of a post up game or even maybe a mid range shot ? or is this as far he can go offensively ?

I agree that Amir is getting better offensively, but he still doesn't seem very polished with his moves. What I mean is, his footwork is not great, his baby hooks and post moves seem rushed and aren't very clean shots (they catch some rim and are soft enough that they bounce around the rim and usually fall). You look at his moves compared to Bosh's moves and it's night and day. He still has a long way to go, but he is definitely improving. His game still reminds me of a younger Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace. I think that he is in the right place at the right time (has a nose for the ball) and it gives him lots of chances at put back rebounds or close moves to the basket. If he has to put the ball on the ground or face up, he's not nearly as effective. I'm excited to see how much better he will get as he matures and his moves get better.

You have identified his deficiencies and he can work at those if he wants to be a higher tier player. He should resign with the Raptors cause this team will use his current skills and give him every opportunity to improve where his next contract would be for the big money (probably somewhere else).

Amir has been playing consistent all year but lately he has shown some great Offensive skill. He's shown he can finish and work the PnR very well with Jose, but now im left wondering how far can he go offensively ? Of course we all know he doesn't have a great Mid Range shot, his FT% is also very poor . He kind of reminds me af a smaller Amare great pnr and great finisher only thing Amere has that Johnson doesnt is that mid range shot and a polished post game.

Now do you guys think this kid can learn some sort of a post up game or even maybe a mid range shot ? or is this as far he can go offensively ?

That is a pretty big gap in his offensive game. No doubt he can improve his post game and jump shot, but he is never going to be a great offensive player. He doesn't really have the build to be a great back to the basket player, and I don't see him ever being a good jump shooter. In a best case scenario he becomes a guy who doesn't hurt you on the offensive end. Maybe a Marcus Camby like offensive game.

Raptors' Johnson an eager pupil
Young big man taking English's suggestions to heart; `He knows his stuff, so I just listen'

Practice was over and Amir Johnson was going to work, soliciting aid and advice from the most prolific NBA scorer associated with the Raptors today.

And for a good 15 minutes or so, assistant coach Alex English stood there with the Toronto big man, from both sides of the court to both low-post blocks, helping hone an offensive game that's coming along quite nicely.

That is a pretty big gap in his offensive game. No doubt he can improve his post game and jump shot, but he is never going to be a great offensive player. He doesn't really have the build to be a great back to the basket player, and I don't see him ever being a good jump shooter. In a best case scenario he becomes a guy who doesn't hurt you on the offensive end. Maybe a Marcus Camby like offensive game.

You sound like Michael Curry. I think you are totally wrong on this and lets talk further in about 3 years.

For starters go look at this video of him 3 years ago and compare his body today to what it was just 3 years ago. He is still only 22 so his body will continue to get stronger and bigger.

As far as his offensive skills. I have watched him play for over 4 years and he is doing things on offense now, I am sure because of the tutoring by Alex English, who scored over 25,000 career NBA points, that he had never done in Detroit.

You should have seen A. Bynum's offense when the Lakers drafted him. It was non-existent. Then the Lakers hired Kareem to tutor Bynum on offense and it is easy to see the tremendous strides that Bynum made due to Kareem's coaching of him.

There is no reason to thing that Johnson can't make the same strides as Bynum if Johnson stays with the Raptors and continues to get tutored by AE than the sky is the limit.

Johnson is a lot quicker than Bynum and as Triano said in yesterday's practice Johnson can make the open jumper if he has time to get set. That will improve in the future. He is only 22 the age of a four year college NBA rookie.

Johnson had Sheed tutor him on defense while Johnson was playing in Detroit. Johnson's defensive skills other than his shot blocking were non-existent when the Pistons drafted him. Sheed taught him how to play defense. However, no one in Detroit taught him on to use his natural talents to be an effective offensive player. Alex English is now doing that.

As far as his offensive skills. I have watched him play for over 4 years and he is doing things on offense now, I am sure because of the tutoring by Alex English, who scored over 25,000 career NBA points, that he had never done in Detroit.

You should have seen A. Bynum's offense when the Lakers drafted him. It was non-existent. Then the Lakers hired Kareem to tutor Bynum on offense and it is easy to see the tremendous strides that Bynum made due to Kareem's coaching of him.

There is no reason to thing that Johnson can't make the same strides as Bynum if Johnson stays with the Raptors and continues to get tutored by AE than the sky is the limit.

Johnson is a lot quicker than Bynum and as Triano said in yesterday's practice Johnson can make the open jumper if he has time to get set. That will improve in the future. He is only 22 the age of a four year college NBA rookie.

Johnson had Sheed tutor him on defense while Johnson was playing in Detroit. Johnson's defensive skills other than his shot blocking were non-existent when the Pistons drafted him. Sheed taught him how to play defense. However, no one in Detroit taught him on to use his natural talents to be an effective offensive player. Alex English is now doing that.

I agree i think the kid can learn a good post up game, also it's good that Alex English is working with him on it too i didnt know that. I think he has the athletic ability to do it, because right now thats whats carrying his Offensive game but that can only take you so far.

But i also feel he needs to work on his FT''s because lets say he does learn a post up game teams will start to foul him and as of right now he's not there yet . But he's so Raw at this point but he is showing some signs and like u said he is only 22 years old! can't wait to see what he learns and i hope he gets re-signed cause the future is bright for this kid.

As far as his offensive skills. I have watched him play for over 4 years and he is doing things on offense now, I am sure because of the tutoring by Alex English, who scored over 25,000 career NBA points, that he had never done in Detroit.

You should have seen A. Bynum's offense when the Lakers drafted him. It was non-existent. Then the Lakers hired Kareem to tutor Bynum on offense and it is easy to see the tremendous strides that Bynum made due to Kareem's coaching of him.

There is no reason to thing that Johnson can't make the same strides as Bynum if Johnson stays with the Raptors and continues to get tutored by AE than the sky is the limit.

Johnson is a lot quicker than Bynum and as Triano said in yesterday's practice Johnson can make the open jumper if he has time to get set. That will improve in the future. He is only 22 the age of a four year college NBA rookie.

Johnson had Sheed tutor him on defense while Johnson was playing in Detroit. Johnson's defensive skills other than his shot blocking were non-existent when the Pistons drafted him. Sheed taught him how to play defense. However, no one in Detroit taught him on to use his natural talents to be an effective offensive player. Alex English is now doing that.

I understand all that. But I would point out that Alex English is a guard, trying to tutor a big guy. Kareem was one of the best of post scorers of all time. I think that is a big difference. I wish the Raptors would bring in someone to work exclusively with Bosh, Bargs, and Amir, since all could use some work in the post.

You made the comparison to Bynum, saying both came in with little offensive game. But they also both entered the league at the same time, and while Bynum has begun to flourish offensively, Amir continues to struggle.

I don't want to make it sound like I don't think Amir's offense will ever improve, if he is putting in the time than it will show. But i think a best case scenario for him is his offense being just adequate. Where he is the 4th or 5th option on the floor, where he can finish around the basket on the PnR, and knock down a jumper out to 15 feet, if he is left open.